


Petals, burnt

by tysunkete (aozu)



Category: D.Gray-man, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 02:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13157088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aozu/pseuds/tysunkete
Summary: Rewritten. When Kurama is sent to the Black Order to take care of the Earl once and for all, he meets one person he didn't expect to see again - Kanda Yuu. Maybe it's time Kanda found out why he was cursed and the consequences that came with it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written: 29/04/2009.  
> Revised: 29/10/2013.
> 
> Will be unfortunately left unfinished. Do note that the premise of this was written before a lot that has happened in canon, especially the Alma arc. Obviously there will be nothing relating to that in here.

Of all the mysteries of Kanda Yuu, the large oddly-shaped mark on his chest was probably on top of the list. Hell, even Kanda himself thought the thing was kind of creepy—because he had no idea how and why he had it. The black mark coloured itself like stained ink on his unblemished pale skin, much like a decorative tattoo.

Except, tattoos did not _grow larger in size on its own_.

He was also pretty sure tattoos did not throb, did not squirm, nor did they _glow_.

These things started occurring about a month ago. Well, the tattoo always grew slightly larger after he lost a petal from the lotus. Nothing too obvious to be noticed, just that when Kanda looked at the black symbol in the mirror he vaguely remembered that the tendrils of the outer mark did not cross his shoulder the last time, nor did it curl to touch his pectoral. But as for the other strange events surrounding his mark, nothing unusual seemed out of place with his plant in the hourglass, so he passed it as a… _phase_ of sorts.

Grumbling mentally, Kanda turned over on his bed and tried to stop thinking about it. All he knew was that he was cursed—in a strange way. To be able to cheat death thirteen times, the number of petals of the lotus. He didn’t know if there was anything more to it after the thirteen lives. He didn’t know why he had it. He didn’t know who cursed him.

He remembered nothing from before nine years of age, when General Tiedoll brought him to the Order and trained him as an exorcist.

Sometimes, though, he would see a flash of gold amongst the lotus petals, and the silhouette of someone amongst the scent of burning wood.

Someone he felt he had to find.

_That person._

A soft rap on his door startled him out of his thoughts. “Kanda, brother wants to see all the exorcists in his office.”

Kanda gazed at his ceiling in annoyance for a few seconds before he forced himself out of it. Sighing, he pulled his hair back into a low pony tail at his nape before grabbing Mugen. Out of habit he glanced at the hourglass containing the lotus. The tattoo on his chest gave a dull throb in response and he palmed a hand over it, frowning.

He opened his door and swiftly closed it behind him, using his sword to keep an excited redhead from glomping.

“Whatcha doin’ all cooped up in your room, Yuu?” Lavi grinned, evading the sheathed sword to sling an arm over the swordsman’s shoulder. “Are you lonely? Are you too shy to—“

“Don’t touch me,” Kanda muttered roughly, shoving the arm off. “And quit calling me by my first name, idiot.”

Lavi blinked, not very perturbed by the harsh treatment. However, it had been a while since Kanda snapped at him for using the other’s first name—there had been a lot of yelling and death threats and actual commencement of the death threats when he first did, but that was about a decade ago, when they first met each other.

Lenalee smiled and shook her head as Lavi continued to badger Kanda down the corridor, until the long haired man stopped at a sudden standstill outside Komui’s office.

“Lavi,” Kanda closed his eyes briefly, jaw clenched. “How long do you think you can live without your intestines?” he asked, flickering his gaze over.

“Um,” the redhead took a step back, hands raised in defense. “Are you talking about the small intestine or the large intestine? Because contrary to popular belief, humans can actually—“ he gulped when the glare Kanda shot him went down several degrees, and he heard the click of Mugen unsheathing. "Shouldn’t we go in?”

Kanda scoffed and swung the door to let them in, and the trio turned their attention to Komui who was ungracefully face flat on his desk.

Lenalee sighed.

Lavi grinned and walked to the sleeping’s supervisor’s side. “Komui,” he whispered. “Allen’s taking advantage of Lenale—“

Even before he could finish his sentence, Komui was clutching a sharp drill aimed directly at the unsuspecting redhead, eyes narrowed like sharp daggers.

“Allen’s on a mission,” Lavi laughed nervously, edging away.

“Sis-con, what the hell did you want?” Kanda snapped impatiently, gripping Mugen tight.

He was very tempted to press against his mark because the thing felt like it was _moving_.  He couldn’t be too sure because it was under his shirt, but it certainly felt like his skin was rippling, and with every minute, the sensation got bolder. It was getting hard to disguise his discomfort, so he focused his annoyance on the person in front of him.

Just then, the door to Komui’s office swung open again, this time revealing Miranda who stepped in looking nervous. “I’m sorry I’m late! I’m so sorry—“

“It’s fine, Miranda,” Komui beckoned her in gently as the drill he was holding magically disappeared. He sat up straighter and adjusted his glasses. “As you all know,” he began once Miranda joined their trio, “Allen, Krory, Marie, Bookman and the Generals are away on missions, but I want you all to team up with them after all this has finished and report to them everything you’ve listened today. Do you understand me?”

Lenalee glanced at her brother with worry. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve recently received information that will help to change the tide of this war…but this has also caused everything we’ve believed in for years to be void,” Komui said cautiously. “Our guest will explain it in detail. Miranda, if you would please.”

Lavi, Lenalee and Kanda shared looks as Miranda stepped forward, apparently having already been briefed on her role.

“Innocence, activate,” she whispered. “Time transfer…begin!”

Only the glow of her innocence stood still for a few seconds, and then, a wrinkle in the air in front of her appeared. It grew like a crack on a wall on air, until a slit large enough to fit a human was drawn. Slowly, the tear opened apart, revealing a swirl of colours. The rest of the exorcists watched, speechless.

Kanda discreetly rubbed the left side of his chest, hoping to quell the strange sensation that started to intensify. He gripped the area tightly when a hand appeared out of the portal, grabbing the two sides of it.

The figure that stepped through was either a flat chested gorgeous female or a really androgynous pretty boy. This person was dressed in an oriental style uniform, white and yellow with a sash around the waist. Lavi couldn’t help the inappropriate whistle—and he also noticed that whoever it was had a similar hair colour to his, but the shade spoke volumes. Those tresses spilled over his shoulders like blood, dark and enchanting, complimenting the emerald eyes that stared right back at him.

“ _Hajimemashite_ ,” the person bowed, voice as smooth as silk. “ _Kurama to moshi masu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”_

Kanda inwardly flinched at the use of his mother tongue. It had been years since he had met anyone who spoke it like a native, especially since Japan had been infiltrated by the Earl, but this redhead certainly did. What made him more uneasy, however, was how this stranger was staring at him. He felt like he was being watched through his uniform, right at his mark that was _burning_ at the moment, but he ignored it the best he could.

He knew this stare from long ago. He knew he did.

“Hello, welcome to the Black Order,” Komui greeted coolly. “I’m glad you made it safely.”

“Ah, thank you,” the person bowed again, this time speaking in English. “You’re Komui-san, am I right?” he smiled. “Koenma showed me profiles before he sent me. I’m Kurama, at your service.”

The room was quiet, only for Miranda’s innocence weapon that whirled. Kurama turned upon her gently. “Lotto-san, I thank you for the passageway. You may close the portal now.”

Miranda protested hastily. “B-but if I close it you won’t be able to make it back…”

“I assure you that it’s fine,” Kurama answered smoothly, eyes unblinking.

Miranda hesitated until Komui nodded his head in agreement. “Innocence…deactivate.”

Almost immediately, the portal closed off and the rip in the air vanished. Miranda staggered unexpectedly, but Kurama steadied her shoulders and guided her to the nearest couch.

“I-I’m sorry—I—I feel a little...—“ she mumbled, clutching her forehead.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Kurama replied firmly. “It takes an incredible amount of energy to create a dimension portal, especially for a human…”

“W-well, yes, b-but—“

“Just rest, Lotto-san.”

“…Human?” Lavi repeated, frowning. “What do you mean by that?”

Kurama stood up at met the green gaze equally. “I mean exactly that.”

When Lavi’s stare switched over to Komui, the supervisor sighed. “Kurama, will you explain the situation to them, please?”

“With pleasure,” Kurama replied. “Any questions, please ask them after I’m done, all right?”

Without giving them any time to respond, he continued. "I am from the future,” he first stated, noting their stares of disbeliefs. “Lotto-san grasped time from this era, and so did we in my era. This allowed the two times to meet to make a passageway for my entrance.

"There have been strange happenings in my time. The human world is starting to flood with demons—especially those of higher classes, and it doesn’t seem to stop. Our sources point it to a rip time: here. From our records we deduced that something is or is not occurring in your timeline. This problem is getting too large for spirit world to ignore, therefore I am sent by the King's son, Lord Koenma to deal with this.

“In any case, my main objective is to reach the end goal—to dispose of whom you call the Millennium Earl. I have heard that the Order does not know of the true being of this Earl so I am telling you now,” Kurama eyed each of them carefully. “He is a demon.

“He is an S class demon capable of creating minions from human souls. What we know of the Earl’s objective is to rid human world of humans, using it as a piece of property to own, and most possibly to rule as the second demon world. The Noah, too, whatever you call them, are demons. Parasitic demons that feed off their human hosts.

"Lastly, this crystal you call ‘innocence’ is crystallized spirit energy,” he explained. “Only those with higher spiritual awareness can make use of this energy. The higher your spiritual awareness, the more likely you can materialise it as a weapon, as in the case of parasitic innocence. Any questions?”

Silence reigned after the long monologue.

Sure, as exorcists they had seen many things that couldn’t be explained but this was hard to take in, especially since it broke all foundation of what they knew. For centuries that the holy war had been fought no one had been able to classify the Earl, nor had anyone even known what the Noah were. Innocence was seen as a blessing from God for the ‘chosen ones’, and yet, now, such a simple answer to the whole mystery? Or rather, a simple answer in the form of one stranger from the future when they had been trying all their life to—

“What the fuck are you?” Kanda hissed, knuckles white from gripping the hilt of his Mugen.

Kurama’s stare hadn’t left him since the other decided to drop by, and Kanda was, not that he’ll admit, getting more freaked out by the second. Moreover his mark now felt like a constant sear of fire on his skin, and he wasn’t sure if he could remain impassive for so long.

“Kanda!” Lenalee gasped in horror at the rudeness, although she also wanted the question answered.

Kurama took a step forward in his direction, gaze never flinching. Kanda glared back, unwilling to back down but he unconsciously took a step back when Kurama was close enough to invade his personal space.

The other tilted his head. “You don’t remember me?”

The rest of the occupants in the room could only watch in confusion. Kanda furrowed his eyebrows, fingers and thumb unsheathing Mugen with a threatening click. He definitely did not know whoever this person was and even worse—this fucking idiot was still moving closer.

“Does it hurt?”

Kanda snapped his gaze up when he realised he was staring at Kurama’s mouth. “What?”

“Your mark,” Kurama elaborated, hand reaching up to touch the area where it was. “Does it hurt?”

It took several seconds before Kanda blinked out of his shock, but by then, Kurama had a palm over his chest. A flash over silver and gold danced in his vision and suddenly a spike of pain cut deep into his tattoo.

_“I’ll come collect you when you’re ready, okay?”_

Kanda breathed heavily as he scrambled to clutch his chest, dropping Mugen to the floor in the process. It hurt more than anything he’d ever felt—like he was being stabbed over, and over and over, and over—

He could vaguely sense the hand that Kurama still had on him that wouldn’t move away, and also how everyone else was crowding around him in concern but he couldn’t hear them. He couldn’t hear anything, but one voice.

_“My pretty little thing…”_

_“Just remember...”_

“Kanda Yuu, was it?” the same soothing voice washed over him, and a warm hand cupped to turn his cheek to meet emerald green. “You wanted to know what I am, yes?” Kurama breathed softly.

_“Just remember, little human. You belong to Youko Kurama.”_

Golden flecks started to seep into those green eyes, colouring the outer rim with a shade so cold, but so filled with passion. Kanda stared blankly, because he had seen that gold before—somewhere—many years ago…

“Youko…Kurama…” he murmured unconsciously.

Kurama’s lips twitched into a semblance of a smirk, gold festering darker in his eyes. His other hand cradled Kanda’s face, and with no further warning, met their mouths together.

* * *

When Kanda crumpled into Kurama’s arms, Lavi was quick to shove the other redhead away.

“What the hell did you do to him?” he demanded, lowering the unconscious swordsman to the floor carefully.

Lenalee crouched down next to Kanda worriedly, gently checking his pulse rate. She shot Kurama a wary look, and another one to her brother.

Kurama sighed and looked at the ceiling. After a long pregnant pause, he shook his head slightly, muttering underneath his breath. “Youko, you went overboard again.”

“…Kurama?” Komui prompted, tone less than pleased.

“He should wake up within the hour. He is perfectly fine, I promise,” Kurama replied, expression slightly regretful. “It was…inescapable.”

The supervisor did not let up the stern look, although his next words were to the rest. “You all will need to start packing up—you leave as soon as Kanda wakes up. There will be folders to explain everything in more detail about your final mission.”

“But—“

“Lenalee, do as I say, please,” Komui interrupted gently. “Miranda, you too.”

Lenalee and Miranda left, leaving Lavi to bring Kanda over to the couch. Once done, the one eyed redhead leaned himself against the wall.

“Do explain,” Komui said. “I was told a spirit detective would be sent over. You’re not him, are you?”

“Quite right,” Kurama replied with a quirk of his lips. “But I assure you I am a member of the team.”

“And you’re not human.”

“I am,” the redhead chuckled. “But I am also a fox demon.”

“What do you mean?” Lavi frowned.

“The same as you,” Kurama smiled wryly. “You are Lavi as much as you are Bookman Junior, are you not?”

The words only made Lavi tense further.

“I am Youko Kurama as much as I am Shuuichi Minamino. Together, I am Kurama.”

“…. _You’re_ Youko Kurama?” the Bookman in training blurted, eye widened slightly in shock. “How?”

If anything, Kurama’s smile widened.

Komui coughed, catching both their attentions. “Someone, please elaborate.”

The two redheads locked gazes for a short while, and the fox demon acceded eventually. “Youko Kurama is a fox demon from the demon world. Years ago in my time, a bounty hunter shot him, so he escaped to the human world and bonded with the body of an unborn baby that is to be Shuuichi Minamino. That is who I am today.”

“And how do you know Kanda?”

“In this human form I do not have all the memories of Youko. He holds many secrets to my past. All I know is that he belonged to me.”

“Belonged?” Lavi echoed.

“Yes, belonged,” Kurama repeated.

Lavi rubbed his chin, eye intense. “Can we speak to your demon counterpart then?”

“I warn you; Youko is very dangerous,” Kurama’s voice lowered a notch. “His loyalties lie within himself. He does not have any restraint. Are you sure you want this, Komui-san?”

Komui who had been watching quietly nodded after a brief hesitation. Perhaps the curse of the lotus could finally be revealed after all this time...

Kurama took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Slowly, a mist enveloped around him and engulfed his entire figure. The other two watched in silence as the fog cleared to reveal Youko Kurama in his true form.

Long silver hair adorned his porcelain white face, lips stretched into a deep smirk. Two fluffy ears sat upon his head, twitching at the slightest noise. Dressed in a simple white robe, his tail hung freely behind him. But what was most striking was his glittering gold eyes that were so cold, they _burned_.

“Greetings, humans,” a low baritone spoke from those lips. “Ah, so this is where it begins.”

Lavi and Komui tensed, for it was obvious that this fox demon was dangerous.

“You want to know about my doll there, don’t you?” Youko purred, making his way towards Kanda. He knelt, brushing the wayward strands of hair out of the unconsciousness swordsman’s face. “I’ll tell you this for now: he owes me his life, so he belongs to me.”

Long fingers traced Kanda’s lips as Youko looked upon the other with a fond smirk. “I’ve missed you so, _koiishi_ ,” he murmured.

He lifted Kanda up into his arms and bared his fangs when Lavi took a step forwards towards him.  Then, mist covered them again and cleared to leave Kurama in his human form with Kanda in his arms. Kurama coughed slightly and sighed when he saw what his demon form had left him with.

“I’ll bring him to his room. It’s better not to…provoke.”

Lavi nodded when he noticed that Kurama’s eyes were still speckled with gold.

“One more question!” he called when the demon was halfway out of the office. “In your human form—are you a guy or a girl?”

There was only the sound of Kurama’s chuckles that was his answer.

“He doesn’t know where Yuu’s room is, does he?” Lavi muttered to a perplexed Komui in his seat.

“How much of this do you already know?” Komui asked, sending the other a look once he was sure they were alone.

The grin on Lavi’s face faded a little. “You know I can’t answer that,” he answered quietly. “But not enough, if that’s what you’re asking.”

The elder nodded. “Go and get ready. Report to me—weekly, if you can, about anything that Youko Kurama slips about Kanda,” Komui stated. “You can tell me that much, can’t you? I have a feeling things will get much more complicated from now on.”

* * *

When Kanda woke, his head throbbed too much for a coherent thought to pass through his mind. It was bright, too bright. His tattoo now tingled quietly on his skin. He grimaced at the light and tried to sit up, but he felt himself being pushed back down again.

“Take your time. We won’t leave until you’re feeling completely well.”

Immediately Kanda sat up violently, forcing his eyes open. He did not realise he had scooted so far back that his back was pushed up against the bed frame. His body slumped in exhaustion despite the adrenaline of shock.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he demanded, edging as much as he could away from the demon redhead sitting at the side of his bed.

“I carried you here, Yuu.”

“Don’t call me that!”

Kurama’s smile twisted into a minute smirk, and his gaze darkened.

_Gold. Gold. Gold._

Kanda’s hand instinctively went to his side for Mugen, but it was empty. Kurama cocked his head towards the wall where his sword was propped. The exorcist made to take his weapon despite his slow and sluggish movements, but Kurama held him back down.

“You’re still drained—“

“Don’t touch me,” Kanda snarled, pulling his arms away from the other’s grasp but failing miserably. “What the fuck did you do to me?”

Kurama sighed, settling his hold down gently. “You don’t remember now, but you will. I have met you, many years ago, in my other form, Youko. You are bonded to me. You belong to me,” he murmured, tone descending with each sentence. “You’re _mine_.”

_Gold._

“You’re fucking crazy—“

“To want you?”

“W-want?” Kanda spluttered.

“Youko wants you. A lot,” Kurama stated, staring unnervingly. “To the point where it even overrides my sense of thought…”

Kanda held the other a distance away with a hold on the shoulder. “What the hell are you?”

“A fox demon,” Kurama answered simply. “This is my human form.”

Kanda groaned as the memories from before came rushing back. The Millennium Earl, the Noah, akuma…all of them were demons. Fuck, they were supposed to be on the way for the final mission. He shoved his way out of the bed and staggered forward when his legs gave way, still too weak to support his weight.

Kurama caught him again and sat him down, much to the exorcist’s disgruntlement.

“We can go if you let me transfer some energy to you,” Kurama offered.

It took Kanda a moment to consider, and he nodded when he decided that the faster he could move, the faster he could get away from the other.

Kurama reached out with a delicate hand and traced Kanda’s jawline, pulling him closer. Kanda blinked in surprise and parted his lips, vaguely aware of how close they were. The fox demon smiled, thumbing the other’s cheek as he leaned forward so that their lips bumped together softly at first, and then he pressed their mouths together more firmly.

It was warm, very warm, and Kanda felt a tingle erupting in his fingertips, and then it felt like small jets of electricity all over his body. He didn’t realise he had his eyes closed nor a tongue delving into his mouth until a low groan escaped his throat. Kurama kissed him deeper at the noise, but that was when Kanda shoved the other away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand harshly.

“W-what the fuck was that?” he bit out, feeling much too flushed.

Kurama gave him a smile as he licked his lips discreetly. “I transferred some energy to you, as I promised. That should have been enough, I suppose. We can leave now. Pack up, Yuu.”

The fox demon made his way easily out of the room, footsteps so light that there was no sound of his retreatment. Once Kanda was alone, he slumped back down to the bed, hand over his face.

Just what the hell was going on?

* * *

“You okay, Yuu?” Lavi bounced towards Kanda when he saw the swordsman heading towards their group.

Kanda nodded non-committedly, brushing off the question. Lavi trailed after the other, squinting at the pink flush running down the other’s neck underneath his uniform. He flickered his gaze towards Kurama, already inside the boat, who looked back with a serene smile.

Lavi frowned and grabbed Kanda before they stepped in. “Hey, did something happen with Kurama?”

“N-no.”

“Are you sure? Because you—“

“Shut up, usagi,” Kanda scoffed, yanking his arm back to enter the boat. “Where are we heading to?” he asked once they were off, with Lavi pouting behind him.

“Japan,” Lenalee answered. “I hope you’re feeling alright,” she lowered her voice. “I don’t trust Kurama, but we need him for the mission.”

“I’ll be fine,” Kanda stated in response. “So, Japan?”

“It’s the nearest meeting point for all of us,” Lenalee brightened, catching his hint. “You haven’t been back in a long time right?”

“Yeah.”

"Besides, I think Allen is there already! We'll meet up with him first, if General Cross doesn’t wander off…" Lenalee continued.

Kanda knew she was trying to keep the atmosphere light, and he was grateful for it. He let his eyes wander and he locked gazes with Kurama, who was looking out in the distance quietly.

Kanda immediately looked away, but out of the corner of his eye, he knew Kurama smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, baby face, what’s the deal now?”

Koenma growled, eye twitching. “I told you to stop calling me that!”

“Not gonna happen until you lose that pacifier of yours,” Yusuke smirked, arms crossed.

It had been a tiring month of them all, and the spirit detective thought he should at least be granted leeway for some amusement of his own. Life was getting boring before this all happened, he would admit—all of them went about their cover lives; Kuwabara in college, Kurama working at his step-father’s company, Hiei on border patrol and him at his ramen shop. But when he was wishing for a bit of action, he was not asking for human world to flood with demons again, just like the time with Sensui.

At first they pegged it to a copy act—but Hiei was adamant that there was _nothing_ at the borders, or if there was, it was dead—and a month later after trying to contain the number of demons as low as they could, Konema finally called them back with the promise that he’d figured it out.

“Stop wasting my time,” Hiei muttered impatiently, though everyone could see he wasn’t itching to get back to patrol.

Koenma sighed, but nonetheless called for George. “I was checking through the archives—“

Yusuke coughed. “You?”

“—I had people check through the archives,” Koenma corrected, glaring. “To see if there was anything that could be of use—a past event, or a particular person, but instead, we found out that a certain…stack was disappearing.”

“Disappearing?” Kuwabara echoed, confused. “Like somebody is stealing them?”

“No, everything is under top security—“

“Like it’s _so_ difficult to break in,” Yusuke muttered under his breath, causing Kurama to chuckle.

“—unless of course, you two, are responsible,” Koenma shot the spirit detective and the fox demon a look. “I mean disappearing as in it’s _literally_ disappearing,” he pursed his lips. “George! Where are you?” he demanded.

“H-here, Koenma-sama!” an ogre hastily barged in, arms dawdled with a thick stack of papers.

“Look here,” Koenma swiped the first page from the stack, shoving to the rest of the team. “These are records dating back a century ago, about a war between spirit energy users and demons,” then he dug towards the bottom, snatching out another paper. “We have everything documented, but when we last checked, it’s starting to disappear.”

Instead of a black ink scrawl that decorated the first page, the next one was completely blank.

“I don’t know why it’s doing that, but there’s only one reason for this—history is being wiped out.”

The rest of the four raised stared in silence for a few moments.

“That’s not possible,” Kuwabara argued. “If history has happened, it has already _happened_ ,” he emphasized.

“But it’s happening to that thing,” Hiei commented, squinting at the blank page.

“The Novikov self-consistency principle,” Kurama put in, humming. “If whatever bit of that history is to be erased, it should’ve already been erased,” he explained. “Kuwabara-kun’s got a point.”

“I didn’t understand a single thing you said,” Yusuke snorted. “But there’s some weird shit going on, and Koenma,” he looked up at the spirit world ruler. “You haven’t finished.”

“Right,” Koenma sighed, flicking the papers he held back to the pile. “Believe me, it’s going to sound crazy—“

“—worse than what _we’ve_ been through?”

“Will you stop interrupting me?” he demanded, annoyed. “As I was saying, history _is_ being wiped out. In particular, this century old event. We don’t know why it is happening, but it’s definitely the cause of the demon appearances in the human world. Hiei, you said that the border is perfectly fine, right?”

“Hn.”

“Yet demons are somehow getting through,” Koenma stated. “This is because they’re coming through a rip in _time_. Something is happening a century ago that’s disrupting the time flow.”

“So what do you want us to do about it?” Yusuke asked. “It’s not like any of us can go wherever or whenever for whatever’s happening.”

“Actually,” this time, Koenma smiled. “You can.” The toddler pulled out a glowing crystal from his drawer and set it on the table. “Can anyone tell me what this is?”

“Crystallised spirited energy,” Kurama said immediately. “It’s strange—who made this? There’s a whole worth of a person’s condensed into it.”

“It’s something that came through the time leak. It’s called ‘innocence’,” Koenma replied. “There were a couple more that we found. Using these, I managed to send a message back in time, initiating contact with a supervisor of the organization that battled against the demons. With a bit of correspondence, I judged that Yusuke, you have to go back in time to help them.”

“Back in time,” Yusuke repeated flatly. “For serious? And what am I supposed to _do_?”

“I was getting to that,” the toddler rolled his eyes. “They’re called the Black Order,” he first stated, pointing to the screen where a picture of a castle stood. “A century ago this organization gathered people like yourself to battle against a demon infestation in the human world. The infestation was led by an S class demon, with a band of A and B class demons, who created low level demons from human souls.”

“Well, shit,” Yusuke commented. “The S class could’ve levelled the entire human world. How did he even get there?”

“Even S class demons were not S class once upon a time. His method of killing rose his youki to incredible heights,” Koenma answered. “Anyway, history said that they won, but it’s changing now. I need you to go back and make sure the demon is taken care of.”

“Sounds easy enough. So how do I time travel?” Yusuke smirked. “Ha, that sounds way cooler than I thought.”

“Kuwabara will cut a portal for you.”

“— _Me_?”

“— _Him_?”

“Ah,” Kurama nodded calmly, as though everything clicked. “Your dimension sword. Time is a dimension, after all.”

“Quite right. It has to be done both ways; thank heavens they have a means to manipulate time as well. You should be careful even if you are an upper S class,” Koenma eyed Yusuke carefully. “I would like to send all of you, but the strain on their time exorcist will be too great.”

“Time exorcist…?” Kurama blinked.

“They call their spirit energy users ‘exorcists’,” Koenma cocked his head towards the screen again. “These are the people you’ll be working with, Yusuke. This is their supervisor, Komui Lee. He will be expecting your arrival. Their generals; Cross Marian, Cloud Nyne, Winters Sakoro and Froi Tiedoll.”

As he spoke, profiles and pictures flashed on the screen.

“The exorcists; Bookman—“

“Oh,” Kurama muttered to himself, but it was too soft for anyone else to hear.

“—Noise Marie, Arystar Krory III, Miranda Lotto, Kanda Yuu, Lavi, Lenalee Lee—“

“Wait.”

All eyes turned towards the fox demon who walked up close to the screen.

“Go back,” he requested shortly, eyes never leaving the screen.

“I don’t see what—“

“Go back!”

Koenma clicked for the slides to go backwards, confused.

“Here! Stop here.”

Everyone else stared at an Asian swordsman glaring back towards them.

“Kanda Yuu,” Yusuke read off the words. “Equipment type, Mugen. What the hell is that?”

“They use spirit energy differently from you do, I’ll explain it all later,” Koenma replied. “Kurama?” he prompted when there was still no response from the fox demon except staring.

“Send me.” Kurama ignored the looks as he repeated his words again more firmly. “ _Send me_.”

 “It’s not like you to be so enthusiastic about a mission, Kurama,” Kuwabara observed. “Something about this guy that bugs you?”

“Well, he is kind of pretty,” Yusuke hummed, rubbing his chin. “But hey, you don’t have to cross over time to get laid, you know.”

“You know him,” Hiei stated abruptly, causing everyone to fall silent. “What?” he snapped when there was no response. “It’s entirely possible. The fox is nearly two centuries old.”

“Thank you for pointing that out,” Kurama rolled his eyes. “Yes,” he sighed. “I know him. It needs to be me. Ah, the Novikov self-consistency principle. Or I should say, it _was_ me,” he mused.

“I still have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yusuke whistled.

“Kurama—“

“Koenma, I _will_ be the one going, even if you don’t agree,” the fox demon pressed, eyes glinting.

The unspoken threat was heard loud and clear, and Koenma eventually sighed in resignation.

 _This will not bring him back_. Hiei wasn’t looking at Kurama, but his Jagan glowed briefly.

 _It’s not about changing the future, Hiei._ Kurma quirked a smile. _It’s already happened._

An eye slid towards him. _Don’t scare him off or you’ll spend the next thousand years crying in your weed nest, alone._

 _Why would I ever?_ Kurama grinned, revealing a bit of teeth. _He’s mine, after all._

* * *

“You being here—you’re from the future right?” Lavi drummed his fingers impatiently on his lap. “You change history.”

The boat had been much too small to fit them all, and right after they ended up on a train heading out of Europe down north. The journey was a long one, not to mention dangerous—too many exorcists tended to attract akumas, not to mention the presence of a rather striking oriental (with redhair?) amongst them. Most of the exorcists were making use of their time to read the dossier or to catch some sleep, which left Kurama staring out of the window, seat diagonal to one Kanda Yuu, whose reflection was clear on the window glass, dozing.

The Bookman in training had taken the liberty to seat next to him chatting his ears off ever since they boarded on the train—it seemed like the redhead was being his obnoxious personality, but Kurama knew better, especially with regards to the Bookman clan. The youth was testing his boundaries.

“History’s already been written,” he answered calmly.

“So anything that you’re going to do is already written out, huh,” Lavi mused, voice adopting a lower tone than his usual.

“I suppose.”

“Say, then, do you believe in free will? If everything has already been planned, then we don’t have a choice in what we end up doing, do we?”

“That depends. Do you believe in a god?”

Lavi paused, actually in thought. “Do you?”

“I’ve met him,” Kurama replied.

“Oh?”

“Koenma—Lord Koenma,” he mused. “Son of the ruler of the spirit world. I know him quite personally.”

“So are you considered “divine intervention”?”

The fox demon bit back a laugh. “You could say so,” he smiled. “What’s your real question, Bookman-san? I’ve met your clan back in my day. Your tactics won’t work on me.”

“Lavi,” the redhead corrected him. “Bookman is that old panda.”

At Kurama’s raised eyebrow, the exorcist leaned on his palm and eyed him. “What’s your real purpose here? You’re a thief. A killer. Aren’t you?”

“My reputation truly precedes me,” Kurama sighed. “Many things happened in the thousand years that I lived. I wouldn’t be working for Koenma if I am still who I was before.”

“What about your demon counterpart?”

“Youko has less restraint,” he admitted. “You see as demons, our _instincts_ drive us. However, what those instincts are based upon has changed.”

Lavi’s look was still calculating, but he made no comment. “So, why are you here?”

“You have a folder, don’t you?”

“This thing doesn’t say much,” Lavi patted the item absentmindedly, having already skimmed through it. “It talks about the three worlds. Spirit energy, demon energy. About you and a bunch of people in the future. Classes of the demons and the sort.”

The ever present smile on Kurama was starting to get unnerving. “And?”

“ _And_ ,” Lavi huffed. “It doesn’t answer the question of ‘ _why are you planning to do with Yuu_?’”

* * *

Kanda groaned to himself as he stood back against a lamppost. Coming back to his native land was rather anticlimactic—there was the familiar brush of the native tongue, but that was to the extent of it. He hadn’t been back in years and there was no surprise that nothing looked remotely nostalgic to him, but then again, he was from a town deeper in from the docks where the ship had dropped them off.

It was an immensely tiring journey in which he avoided the redhead newcomer at all costs, because even close proximity to the _demon_ made his tattoo throb in ways he could not understand. It felt like the tendrils of the ink were growing further out on his skin, like it was _alive,_ as ridiculous as it sounded.

Moreover he had the distinct feeling that he was being stared at twenty four seven, but he was not about to call the other on it, because that would be admitting that he was actually watching, likewise.

Damn, they just needed to find the stupid beansprout in this mass of people. Considering the younger’s hair colour, it shouldn’t be taking this fucking long—

“Allen!” Lenalee waved, excitement in her voice. “Over here!”

A white haired boy clad in the usual exorcist uniform leather looked up from munching some sort of glutinous sweets on a stick in the distance, smiling bright. He put the rest into his mouth and the stick came out clean. Thereafter, it was easily tossed into the nearby bin as he made his way towards the group of them standing awkwardly with their luggage in tow.

Then, the young boy’s right eye suddenly _whirled_ —followed by a demonic extrusion with one large red pupil zeroing in towards them.

“Everyone, get down!” Allen shouted, arm transformed into a canon of sorts. “He’s an akuma!”

Kurama blinked when a bright burst of light headed straight for him, hand immediately whipping to the back of his hair in a reflex action. However there was no need for any deflection, for the person of his intense interest was surprisingly standing in front of him in a defensive stance, sword out.

“K-kanda?” Allen stuttered, surprised. “What are you doing? He’s an akuma!”

“Stupid beansprout!” Kanda growled, snapping his sword back in place. “I don’t know what’s going on with your creepy eye but he’s with us! Didn’t Komui tell you shit?”

“Well, _no_ ,” Allen retorted, eyes narrowing as he shifted his arm into a large sword, wielding it with ease. “Step away, Kanda. He’s dangerous!”

“If he is an akuma, we’d all be fucking _dead_ ,” Kanda deadpanned.

“Well, Yuu’s got a point,” Lavi scratched his head, amicable smile at ease. “Kurama came with us from the Order—there were plenty of chances to kill our asses along the way.”

Allen paused, looking over their group. At Lenalee’s nod, he lowered his stance, though still wary. “Who are you?”

“Kurama,” the fox demon replied simply, amused. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Walker-san. I see you have some _youki_ in you.”

“…Youki?”

“Demonic energy,” the redhead waved to the red eye. “A powerful one, too.”

Allen furrowed his eyes at the stranger. “Your soul—…is in you,” he observed, shock laced in his voice. “…A fox? What are you?”

“He’s a fucking demon,” Kanda stated impatiently, tapping his sheath. “The bean’s here. Let’s go.”

The swordsman turned on his heels and strode in some direction, presumably towards where their accommodation were. Miranda and Lenalee hurried after him calling his name, leaving the remaining three following at a slower pace.

“Demon?” Allen repeated, alarmed. “Then he is—“

“Woah woah, calm down, Allen,” Lavi soothed, stepping in when it seemed like it was going nowhere. “We’ll explain everything soon, yeah?”

“But my eye—“

“Your eye grants you the ability to sense demonic energy,” Kurama interrupted easily. “And as Yuu has said, I’m a demon. A fox demon. But I assure you I’ve come to help.”

There was silence for a minute.

“Did…did you just…”

“Hmm…?”

“DidyoujustcallKandabyhisfirstname?!” Allen rushed, bewildered. “Lavi! Did he just—“

“Yeah he did,” the exorcist replied sounding a little put out. “I dunno—you ask _him_ about it,” he continued, jabbing his thumb towards the oriental. “So, where’s General Cross?”

Allen’s face immediately turned black. “I don’t know. We arrived here alright, then when we were meeting Krory, shishou went missing—“

“Kroykins?”

“Krory—ah! Where’s Krory?”

* * *

“I think…I need a moment,” Allen said faintly.

It was over dinner where they explained the situation to the two other exorcists—general still missing. They had checked in at a simple inn further inland, a meeting point for the rest of the exorcists to join them.

Krory sat blinking at the dossier set out in front of him as he continued to read it quietly.

“It’s still hard to believe…” Miranda whispered softly. “Even if I was the one to bring him here…”

“I never thought demons were a species,” Lenalee admitted, curling her fingers around her cup. “But if this is all real then…” she trailed off, not knowing now to continue. “Why?” she asked suddenly. “Why now? Why was Kurama sent to help us?”

“I tried badgering him about it but he said something about not being able to talk about things that might affect how history is supposed to go,” Lavi sighed, looking mildly disappointed.

“So what does it mean? That we won? Or that we lost?”

The redhead shrugged.

“We have to have won, right?” Allen spoke up. “If the Earl won then there is no future for humanity.”

“Kurama is demon.” Lenalee reminded him.

Krory tapped the paper he was reading. “It does say that the human world is still intact…and also his teammates—two of them are humans.”

“Who would’ve ever thought that humans and demons would work side by side one day…”

They lapsed into silence.

“You said Komui brought Kurama here?” Allen asked after a while. “How did Komui contact the future?”

“Maybe the future connected him?” Lavi put in. “Maybe they have time machines and—“

“How do we know it’s not a trap?” Allen interrupted him steadily, looking concerned. “Isn’t it too convenient to have a demon on our side who tells us that he can eliminate the Earl? Can he even do that?” he continued, frown deepening.

“I’ve got to say—Kurama is rumoured to be good, but he isn’t that good,” Lavi began, unsmiling as well. “I’ve never heard of an S class demon before, and it says it’s beyond the capabilities of a _group_ of A class to take one on.”

It took a minute for Lavi to realise his mistake.

Everyone was looking at him bewilderedly, until Lenalee bit her lip, hurt expression flickering. “Lavi,” she began softly, but it echoed louder with how empty the diner was. “How much of it have you known all along?”

* * *

Kurama let his lips curl slightly in victory when he stepped out on the roof, eyes immediately spotting the Japanese exorcist sitting on the edge with his sword propped up next to him. He had made an excuse to leave the table right after he’d eaten—he knew that the rest of them probably wanted time to talk without his presence, and he had given them the perfect opportunity to debate if they wanted to trust him.

He didn’t make a sound until he was right next to the exorcist, and he placed a gentle hand on the other’s shoulder.

Expectedly, Kanda did not take it well.

Kurama bit back a chuckle as he dodged the sword that came slicing towards his direction, landing safely several feet away.

“What the fuck are you trying to pull?” Kanda demanded, hand still wielding Mugen in a defensive position.

“You’re avoiding me,” Kurama said simply.

Kanda clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword back roughly, ignoring the words. He just wanted some peace and time alone, away from this weird creep who made his chest feel strange.

“Are you that afraid of me?”

“Who would be afraid of you?” Kanda muttered in return, mood worsening because he knew he was being baited. “I just don’t want you to touch me, you fucking pervert.”

Kurama raised his hands in a show of compliance. “Noted. But there will be a time where you’ll be begging for it.”

Kanda glared harder and made to leave, but the fox demon caught him by the wrist. The hold was gentle and delicate, yet it felt more dangerous than anything he’d ever known.

“Forgive me,” Kurama murmured, stroking his skin as he met their gazes evenly. “I missed you. I haven’t seen you in a thousand years.”

The redhead’s eyes were starting to colour gold as he spoke, but his demon form did not peak through. Kanda swallowed inaudibly, taking an unconscious step back. Suddenly he wasn’t aware of anything but Kurama in front of him.

“You won’t understand this now,” Kurama continued, his touch trailing up the other’s arm. “But I’m sorry,” he whispered, cupping Kanda’s cheek gently. “I’m so sorry. _Boku wo_ _urushite, koishii._ ”

“I-I said don’t touch me!” Kanda snapped, slapping the other’s hand away harshly.

But the fox demon caught his hand, gripping it like he exerted no strength. A range of unidentifiable emotions flickered in those green eyes before they disappeared, and Kurama let go of his grip, looking apologetic. “Sorry,” he said once more, but it was in a very different tone from before. “I…I won’t do it again.”

At this, Kanda scoffed disbelievingly, surprising the other. “Why are you so interested in me?” he demanded. “I don’t know who the fuck you are. And I am not your fucking lover.”

Kurama gave him a smile. “Actually, you _do_ know me. I met you, a long time ago.”

“Definitely not.”

“You have,” Kurama murmured, a tinge of sadness barely noticeable. “You don’t remember your family, do you?”

“How—“ Kanda abruptly fell silent, which the other took the chance to continue.

“You don’t remember anything before you were trained as an exorcist. You don’t remember anything from your childhood. You don’t remember how you got that mark on your chest.”

The swordsman locked his jaw in place, breathing shallowly. “So?”

Kurama looked at him seriously. “Take off your shirt.”

“…Are you fucking insane?”

The fox demon did not roll his eyes, but his tone was dry. “You obviously have questions that you want to ask, but you’re too afraid to because you’re scared of believing what they might imply,” he said. “You want to know, don’t you? About your mark?”

“What, you can tell me? I don’t need to take my shirt off.”

When it looked like the exorcist was not going to comply unless he was dead, Kurama sighed and placed his hand over the other’s chest, closing his eyes briefly in concentration. Kanda’s reflex action was to step back to avoid the touch, but for some reason he was drawn to it. The tattoo burned for a short moment before it cooled just as rapidly, and a red flush started to crawl up his neck. He didn’t know he had his own eyes closed until Kurama spoke.

“Only seven more petals,” Kurama smiled wryly. “You’ve got quite the death wish, Yuu. Or do you want to be mine so badly?”

The fox demon had a tinge of smirk but it faded when he suddenly straightened up, eyes snapping to the sky. “This land is filled with low level demons. I can smell it,” he wrinkled his nose, eyebrows furrowing. “One is coming,” he stated. “No—“ he paused.

“Fifty.”


End file.
